Bfth's Boring Blog

 One of my favorite shows (which I tend to watch ad naseum in reruns) in  Mom .  The show has inspired me to write several blog posts (example:   https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/04/alone.html ).  Late last night I was in sitting in a community center and a line from Season 5, Episode 8 came to mind (yes, I Googled it) "Just show up."  (I hope I quoted that right...I had problems finding the clip that I wanted).  These words rang true for the situation I found myself in and I realized how important they are.  In life we all need to "just show up." Everything we do, everything we believe in starts with "just show up."  Just showing up, can tell the world who you are; what you feel and what you believe in.  Just showing up reveals who you are. It simply starts with being present and then it can (if you so choose) to move on from there.  But it begins with "just show up." So if you are wondering why this all came to me in a flash last night

 Being at home during the pandemic, my eye was frequently (too frequently) drawn to items that I could purchase, even if I didn't need them.  (Honestly, how much DO we need?)  Now that the pandemic is winding down, I'm STILL drawn to sites that pop up in my social media.  Items that look so good, but are they?  I'm old enough to be of the "as seen on tv" and SHOULD know that just because it looks good on website (or on tv) doesn't mean it really IS that good or works as the advertiser touts.  So I present my opinion (my truth) on items that I have purchased.   Let's start with the good: Thrive Causemetics :  I got pulled in by their brilliant eye brightener, which (per their advertising) is a cream-to-powder highlighter stick illuminates and awakens the eyes, providing an instant lift and a soft wash of shimmering color.  While I don't use as much make up as I did pre-pandemic, I am still lured in by cosmetics. (During the pandemic I did purchase found

 St. Patrick's Day has come and gone and thankfully this year parades and gatherings were able to semi-normal.  The weather challenged some early parades and there is a new variant of Covid (BA.2) which precluded a "perfect" holiday.  (Is there really such a thing?) In my household, we "celebrated" with a traditional dinner.  The St. Patrick's Day music channel from Sirius XM was playing in my kitchen as we downed corned beef...on rye with Swiss cheese and mustard.  So maybe it was an Irish meal with a Jewish slant?  Does it matter?  It was delicious.  Irish soda bread was also consumed.  (A portion of which is still hidden away in the pantry.) I did NOT partake in any Irish whiskey.  I'm standing firm in my Lenten vow of no alcohol or chocolate.  (Although I MAY give myself dispensation in 2 weeks when we had out to  The Fest For Beatles Fans  .  It's been two years since we've been able to gather with our friends and I am planning on celebratin

An early wearing of the green Spring feels like it is almost here on this March 16th.  After a Saturday of snow and rain and a Sunday of bitter cold, the tide has finally turned.  I was able to walk outside yesterday and this morning as well (wearing socks...my feet still bare the "scars" of last Monday's sockless walk).  With knee clicking (funny it doesn't seem to do it when I walk around the house, but when I go out for a walk, it's a different story) I managed just over 4 miles at a speed that is much slower than what I did just last year, but...The important thing is that today is heading to be a warm(ish), sunny day, certainly something that we all need. (Particularly those in the Ukraine, but that's goes without saying.)  I am hoping to find some time later in the day to pull out a chair and put the "new" patio to use once more. However, today isn't all about basking in the sunshine and fresh air (although I wish it was).  It is the second

  Today my son (and the rest of the junior class) take the NJGPA (New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment).  This is the FIRST time that the test will be given and yes, my son is apprehensive.  (As parents so are we.)   Again, this is the first year that the test is required for graduation and as recently as last week the NJ Assembly Education Panel pushed ahead to prohibit this as a requirement for graduation stating:  " From mental health concerns to learning delays, our students have been through a lot and what they need now is our support, not the anxiety and stress that comes with taking a new high-stakes assessment test your school career would depend on. Counting the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment this year will create barriers to graduation for many students who have faced challenges over the last two years. It is unfair and unconscionable to spring a new test on rising seniors and raise the stakes as they are so close to graduation." None the less,

  Let me start off by saying there is a LOT of madness going on in our world right now.  Stuff that scares me.  News that saddens me.  Things that horrify and sicken me.  Acts that just don't make sense in my mind.  I think that MOST of us are in the midst of a myriad of emotions and conflicts.  This is one of the reasons why I usually write about topics and things that are NOT serious.  We all need a break.  So with that in mind, today's post reflects on some of the insane silliness that exists in our electronic world. Stuff that is irritating, but not earth shattering.  In the end I hope we laugh a little.  Let's start with a prescription reminder that I got via text yesterday.  I had already been thinking that I needed a refill soon, so I waited until this morning to reply to the link and order the refill.  I had options to have it delivered (for a fee), but since the pharmacy is not too far away (I'll walk it if it's warm enough and get a good workout), I opte

 The cost of gas is atrocious.  Thank God I don't drive all that much.  (Although I may need to rely on public transportation once my office opens which will definitely be costly...how can it not with the cost of fuel?)  It was not too long ago (less than a month?) that I was paying just under $3 a gallon, which I thought was costly at the time.  Now the cheapest gas I can find (as of yesterday) was $4.25.  (That was not a station owned by any of the big well known corporations and this was the cash price...use a credit card in most places and you will pay around ten cents more.)  I don't really need gas, but I'm thinking I'd better get it soon because the price is NOT going down in the foreseeable future. The high cost of fuel has also affected other prices (and will continue to do so).  We all know the costs of groceries have gone up.  I can (vaguely) remember the days when $100 would just about cover my weekly shopping trip.  Now I'm lucky if I can get away wit

 Two years ago yesterday, March 8, 2020 (it was a Sunday), I got my hair cut and colored (yes, I admit it, I lighten my hair).  Why is this memory important to me?  Why do I remember it at all?  That's today story... It had been a while since I had gotten my hair cut.  I can't remember when I had last gone in, but I DO remember that I was hoping to get an appointment with my stylist (who was and is a friend) towards the end of March.  The annual Beatles convention was slotted for the end of the month and so I wanted to have "fresh cut" hair.  However, he said he was completely booked for the month of March.  The only time he had available was Sunday morning.  So I took it. He wore a mask while he colored and cut my hair.  (I think he asked if I minded.  I didn't, but I did think it was "strange" at the time.  Little did I realize that he was way ahead of the curve.)  When he finished, we said goodbye.  That was 2 years ago.  I haven't seen him in per

This morning I went out for my first real walk of 2022. The weather was surprisingly warm on this March Monday morning. When I got up I wasn't going to go out because my phone told me it was 38° out. However my husband said, "What the heck are you talking about?" He swore it was 60°  and sure enough after I dismissed the notification on my phone and went to the actual weather app it WAS nearly 60. So it was time to do a early walk even though it is still  really dark at 5:00 in the morning (which I hate) . I wasn't expecting to go out, so I wasn't prepared. It took me forever to find a sweatshirt and sweatpants in my closet. It was dark in the hallway, as I tried to find something to wear. Why didn't I turn on the light you ask? It's because everybody else in the house is asleep (or trying to get back to sleep in the case of my husband.)  As a result, I was sockless in my sneakers.  Never a good move. That's how sneakers get smelly and I get blisters.

  Last night was the closing night of the spring musical at my son's high school.  He's been active in the drama group since he was a freshman (when he was thrilled to get a small part in the fall production of "Comedy of Errors").  The group and it's advisor have been incredibly creative during the pandemic, which started just as the spring musical of 2020 was wrapping up.  In June of that year, their One Act festival turned into on line productions, that fall they did a "radio play" and in the spring of 2021, they did a very late spring outdoor musical revue.  (Who knew it would be 30 degrees at night in May?)  This fall they were able to return to the high school stage where the cast was unmasked (except for portions of the production where they were off stage) and the audience was completely masked.  It has been a wild ride for the past two years and I think it's important that we remember that. I think back to this time in March of 2020.  Were w

  Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.  For me it should be a time of reflection.  To that end I traditionally give up some of my favorite things (chocolate and wine) as I (try to) reflect as a Christian what was given/given up for me.  I also try to give; be it a physical gift (like a donation to the food pantry) or something more personal/spiritual (like an act of kindness).   I've written a lot about Lent over the years, so I'm reflecting on that.  By looking back on those posts, I realize how consistent I am in trying to act in faith during this time.  Sometimes succeeding and sometimes not. On this particular Ash Wednesday, where it IS possible to physically gather as well as continue to gather virtually, I think back on Ash Wednesday 2020.  Or as I think of it, the last "regular" Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday fell on February 26th in 2020.  The words Covid-19 and pandemic were hardly in my vocabulary, yet it would be a different Ash Wednesday for

  It's a new month (good bye February!) and we're about to enter a new season (Lent starts tomorrow and spring is only 19 days away).  Today is Mardi Gras and with covid restrictions loosening (FINALLY...entering what we will know as endemic phase where the virus will NOT be gone, but will be more manageable) we SHOULD be celebrating.   I, like so many others think of New Orleans at this time.  The parades and the parties that go on and on.  Eating and drinking (drinking and eating) as we celebrate before Lent begins.   The idealistic part of me (which seems to think that I am still young) would love to up and go to New Orleans and take part in the chaos.  The realistic part (that KNOWS and FEELS my age) tells me that I am out of my mind to even consider it.  Maybe someday I will visit, even if it's not during the insanity of Mardi Gras.  (It's my understanding that there's crazy fun no matter when you visit.) But back to the topic at hand (sort of).  Today is Mardi